Red ⋆ Doctor Who

Chapter Thirty-five

"Two," Rory reads the silver number. "So?"

"So, where's one?"

"What, you think he invited someone else?" Rory questions her.

"Well, he must have. He planned all of this, to the last detail."

"Will you two shut up? It doesn't matter," Amy scoffs, shaking her head as she leans against the side of the booth Cherry is sitting in.

"He was up to something," River tries to reason with the redhead.

"He's dead."

"Space, 1969. What did he mean?" River asks herself out loud.

"You're still talking, but it doesn't matter!"

"Hey, it mattered to him!" Rory argues back to his wife.

"So it matters to us!" River adds, nodding her head.

"He's dead."

"But he still needs us. I know. Amy, I know. But right now we have to focus," River pleads and Amy laughs ironically, pointing at Cherry who is still completely unaware of her surroundings, staring at the table as the world around her goes fuzzy.

"Look at her, River. We can't focus," Amy protests. "She's a mess."

"I know, but-"

"Look," Rory cuts her off, walking past them and over to an empty table with half a bottle of coke and a blue envelope with the number one stuck on the back. He turns to the man behind the bar then. "Excuse me, who was sitting over there?"

"Some guy," the man shrugs, uninterested.

"The Doctor knew he was going to his death, so he sent out messages. When you know it's the end, who do you call?"

"Er... your friends. People you trust," Rory answers.

"Number one," River picks up the envelope and shows it to them. "Who did the Doctor trust the most?"

Cherry finally looks up when the door at the back of the diner creaks open and a man in a tweed jacket and a bow tie waltzes in through the door, as carefree as ever. She blinks at him as he notices the four of them staring at him and his face lightens. He opens his arms up, a gesture of surprise, and he beams at all of them with a straw wedged between his teeth. She hates him. She can't breathe as she rises to her feet and joins the rest of the group, eyebrows drawn together as she gazes upon the man they have just seen die. The man they have just burnt. The man she loves. She doesn't even feel relieved at that moment to see him. She doesn't feel anything. It's too much.

"This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold," River snaps at him as he takes the straw out of his mouth.

"Or hello, as people used to say," the Doctor offers as a joke, amused by himself.

"Doctor?" Amy stutters.

"I just popped out to get my special straw," he says, pointing back to the door to explain where he has been. "It adds more fizz."

"You're okay? How can you be okay?" Amy walks around him in a circle, adjusting his jacket as he follows her around. He looks confused and shares a concerned look with Rory before he pulls Amy into a gentle hug.

"Hey, of course, I'm okay. I'm always okay. I'm the King of Okay. Oh, that's a rubbish title. Forget that title." he jumps away from the hug after patting her on the back and immediately engulfs Rory in a tight embrace. "Rory the Roman! That's a good title. Hello, Rory!"

"Hi?" Rory draws out, perplexed.

"And Charlotte Pond." he turns to his girlfriend with a smirk, eyeing up her outfit. "Oh, you bad, bad girl. Did you miss me?"